The search for a new pope continued on Thursday, with black smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling that the cardinals had not elected a successor to Pope Francis in the morning’s two ballots.
Gatekeepers News reports that thousands of faithful and curious onlookers gathered in Saint Peter’s Square and awaited the outcome, but the black smoke indicated that none of the 133 cardinal electors had secured the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes.
The cardinals will now return to the Sistine Chapel for two more votes in the afternoon, as they seek to elect the 267th pope to lead the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
“It’s likely to take a few rounds of voting,” said observers, noting that past conclaves have required between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I was elected on the fourth ballot, while John Paul II needed eight, and Francis was elected on the fifth ballot in 2013.
As the cardinals cast their votes, speculation grew about the length of the conclave. “They probably need more time,” said Costanza Ranaldi, a 63-year-old from Italy’s Abruzzo region.
The cardinals, from about 70 countries, were called back to Rome following Pope Francis’s death on April 21. They are sequestered in Vatican residences, with their mobile phones surrendered and airwaves jammed to prevent outside communication until a new pope is elected.
